


The Girl in Orange

by Zighana



Category: Greenleaf (TV)
Genre: Abuse, Escaping Toxic Relationships, F/M, Future fics, Gen, Survivor - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-08-29 22:02:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16752274
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zighana/pseuds/Zighana
Summary: Zora finds her strength when Isaiah comes to her asking for help.





	The Girl in Orange

Zora stands in front of a microphone, the words are trapped in her throat.

It's silent, too silent. Too many eyes on her and it makes her queasy. 

But she stands strong; she's a Greenleaf, a young woman that had come from strife, secrets, scandal, and pain. And she comes out swinging.

"I am here today," she begins. Her throat swells up and she feels the tears coming.

"I am here today to tell you that we are survivors." 

Applause. 

She tells about her story involving Isaiah, including their initial attraction. She doesn't shy away from his abuse, doesn't sugar-coat what he'd done because she wasn't going to give him the pleasantries of her being subtle. She'd kept herself quiet for too long and she's ready to tell the world what he's really made of.

"The biggest point in my life, was walking out that door and not looking back," Zora announces. 

"I left that relationship six years ago and I'm standing here today to tell you that because of our strength we are here together, standing strong. We will not let men like him take away our joy, our voice, our power-"

She ducks her head down, trying to stop the tears from falling. After taking a deep breath, she faces the crowd again and smiles.

"We are worthy of love. We are worthy of respect. We are worthy of men who treat us better. No matter what they say, we deserve to be loved and to be treated with respect." 

The crowd erupts into applause and cheers. She looks at the purple ribbon on her chest and sighs in relief.

She's free.

~~~

The day she'd seen Isaiah again was at a coffee shop.

She was getting her afternoon latte when he croons her name in that flat note.

She faces him for the first time in six years and couldn't believe her eyes.

She expected him to be like the men in the movies who'd done women wrong and get uglier by the time the movie was over, but he still looked like the charming boy she fell for, give or take some facial hair and a tattoo of the cross and _"Only God Can Judge Me"_ on his neck. He smiles at her and she feels the fear and the anger well up in her body. She's backed herself into the wall, clutching her coffee so tightly it spills onto her hand. 

"What's wrong with you, girl?" He says, inching closer to her.

"Act like you seen a ghost." he adds, breaking into a chuckle.

Paparazzi and fans flock to the coffee shop now, trying to get his attention but he's focused on Zora. 

Her chest tightens, memories of his attack on her mind, body, and soul, wash over her and the strength she once had is gone. 

She hates herself; how could she still be so afraid after six years? 

Isaiah doesn't take a hint and he gets closer to her, singing her name and reaching his hand out to touch her face.

Cameras are flashing in her face and she doesn't know what to do.

She can't fight him or scream at him; she'd just gotten her career as an agent off the ground and she'll be damned before she's in the tabloids as some crazy ex-girlfriend who attacked a washed up pop star for no reason. It didn't matter that his history of abuse is out for the whole world to see; there's still people filling his concerts and the amount of hate-mail and death threats she'd received for exposing him was too much to bear...

He's touching her face, now. He's looking into her eyes while she tries in vain to be anywhere but backed into a wall with abuser touching her like they were once lovers. It felt too intimate and he's way too invasive of her personal space.

Like always, he disregards her boundaries to suit his own needs.

When his thumb swipes the latte foam from her mouth she opens her mouth to speak.

"Stop touching me." She says, low enough for him to hear. Isaiah frowns, but obeys. 

"I want to talk to you." He starts.

"There's nothing that needs to be said." she retorts. Gaining her voice, she backs herself away from the wall and straightens her posture.

"Zora...I'm sorry-"

"-You're always sorry." She turns on her heel and marches out of the coffee shop, amidst the flashing cameras and gossipy chatter. 

"Zora! Zora!" He calls after her, but she does the best she can to escape. 

Her brisk walking turn to jogging and then running, she's running until she finds herself in the bookstore two blocks down. She collapses on the floor of the bookstore, gasping for breath, and she cries. The door opens again and she knows it's him.

"Zora." 

"Why won't you leave me alone?" She says over her shoulder. Isaiah kneels down beside her, clasping his hand on her shoulder.

"Zora. I just want to talk. Just need a little bit of your time. Please." 

"No."

"Zora-"

"Stop saying my name. Stop."

"Please. Just a little of your time, and I'll leave you alone. Promise."

"You're not going to leave me alone anyway. You refuse to give me peace."

"Zora...I've changed. I'm not the man I was six years ago. I...I miss you. I never knew what I had until it was gone and...I want to make it up to you."

"Too late." 

"Let me prove it to you. I'll treat you like a goddess like I should've. Pampered you, spoiled you, loved you. Ever since you walked out my life it had never been the same. My career has gone to waste, I'm out...doing Norwegian commercials to get by and I have yet to find an agent that can manage me like you do. You know my vision. You understand it."

"That's what this is about?" Zora turns to face him, eyes burning with rage. 

"No one wants to work with you so you come crawling to me trying to kiss my ass?"

"Whoa, ain't nobody talking about kissing ass. Let's not forget where you came from." Isaiah snarls, getting in her face. Zora doesn't back down, locking on to him, clenching her fists.

"Let's not forget where you're at now versus me. You are a washed-up has-been that hasn't written a hit in six years. I made a career out of the shit you put me through. I go to events telling my story. I put artists on the map. You have a lot of nerve to think you're entitled to my help. After the way you treated me? And you think your...bullshit speech about how you've changed is going to make me change my mind?"

She's backing him this time into the wall, jamming her finger into his chest.

"I spent years being afraid of you, scared to be free and find love. But I'm not the same person I was six years ago, either. I'm stronger than you. I'm better than you. And you know that."

"I should hit you." Isaiah hisses out. He raises his hand but she doesn't flinch.

"Do it. Do it so I can show the world who they support." Zora bites back. 

The two are stuck in a deadlock, staring into each other's eyes with both contempt and rage.

After what felt like an eternity, Isaiah lowers his hand and storms out of the bookstore.

When the door slams shut, she lets out a breath she didn't know she held in.

She's free.


End file.
